“Israeli” Forces and Settlers Intensify WB Violence, Murdering Palestinian Youth

By Staff, Agencies

A 20-year-old Palestinian man was martyred during a joint assault by “Israeli” forces and settlers on the town of Deir Jarir in the central West Bank, as attacks on Palestinian civilians and property continue to surge across the occupied territory.

WAFA, citing the Palestinian Health Ministry, identified the victim as Bara’ Khairy Ali Maali, who was struck in the chest by live fire on Sunday evening.

Town council head Fathi Hamdan said Maali was targeted amid an assault in which armed settlers attacked homes on the town’s outskirts, with “Israeli” occupation forces accompanying them to provide protection.

Residents attempting to repel the attack came under live fire from both “Israeli” settlers and soldiers. Maali was rushed from Silwad’s emergency center to the Palestine Medical Complex, where he succumbed to his wounds shortly after arrival.

Elsewhere, a Palestinian man was shot in the thigh by “Israeli” occupation troops in Al-Ram, northeast of occupied Al-Quds [“Jerusalem”], after crossing the separation wall. He was transported to hospital for treatment, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent.

“Israeli” forces also stormed the town of Al-Khader near Bethlehem on Sunday night, deploying in several neighborhoods and forcing businesses to close. In Beitunia, west of Ramallah, Zionist settlers attacked Palestinian vehicles with stones, damaging at least one car. Another settler group uprooted young olive trees near Asira Al-Qibliya south of Nablus earlier in the day.

These incidents come amid a sharp escalation of settler and military violence across the West Bank under the shadow of the “Israeli” entity’s ongoing war on Gaza, which has martyred more than 69,000 Palestinians since October 2023. Rights groups warn that Palestinians in the West Bank face growing risks of ethnic cleansing as attacks intensify.

In July 2024, the International Court of Justice ruled that “Israel’s” prolonged occupation of historic Palestine is illegal, calling for the removal of all settlements in the West Bank and East al-Quds. Although advisory, the opinion carries significant political weight as the court’s first judgment addressing the legality of the 57-year occupation.